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If your wallet has been labeled the “George Costanza Wallet” from the hit series Seinfeld, you may just be an identity thief’s ideal target. According to the Federal Trade Commission, of the estimated 3.2 million Americans victimized by identity theft each year, the majority of the victims’ personal information was stolen not via the World Wide Web, but by non-computer related crimes such as purse and/or wallet snatching.

AP9 Privacy Matters, a leading security and privacy membership program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC, assists consumers with staying on top of their personal information by providing instant access to their credit reports and scores as well as members-only access to weekly credit monitoring alerts.* And for those consumers who have not checked their credit report in over a year, many top governmental agencies highly suggest obtaining a copy of your credit report once a year if not more. Knowledge is key when dealing with ID theft criminals.

Since many Americans have a misconceived notion that ID theft crimes only happen over the Internet, [AP9 PrivacyMatters suggests that it is a good time to take inventory of what is in your wallet and to clean it out as much as possible -- the less personal information you carry, the less chance ID thieves will have to damage your good name. AP9 PrivacyMatters offers a few helpful suggestions to get you started:

-- Social Security Card. If you find your Social Security card in your wallet or purse, remove it promptly. If stolen, ID thieves will be able to apply for credit cards and bank loans easily, which will result in nothing but months of stress trying to clean up the mess. Only take your Social Security card with you when you need it -- applying for a job, making financial transactions, or going to see your accountant during tax season.

-- Extra Credit Cards. Remove all of your credit cards except for 1 or 2. We also suggest making photo copies of all your credit cards -- front and back -- but don’t carry them with you. Leave the copies at home or somewhere they are safe and secure. In case your wallet or purse is stolen, you will have copies of your credit card numbers and the toll-free telephone numbers where you can call to report your cards stolen.

-- Receipts. It might be a good idea to clear out some of your receipts as they may contain your credit card number. If you need them for tax purposes, start a filing system at home. This way you won’t have to carry so much around with you.

In addition to receiving instant access to your credit report and score along with credit monitoring alerts, AP9 Privacy Matters offers a lost key return service as well as discounts on paper shredders -- a nice thing to have during the upcoming tax season.

*AP9 PrivacyMatters provides you with the tools you need to access and monitor your financial/credit information through the program’s credit reporting and monitoring benefits. AP9 Privacy Matters and its benefit providers are not credit repair service providers and do not receive fees for such services, nor are they credit clinics, credit repair or credit services organizations or businesses, as defined by federal and state law.

AP9 PrivacyMatters is a leading security and privacy membership program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC. Headquartered in Stamford, Conn., Adaptive Marketing LLC is a category leader in both membership and loyalty programs, bringing value direct to consumers through an array of benefits in healthcare, discounts, security, personal property and personals. Members may access their benefits at DealPass, an online portal for Adaptive Marketing LLC membership programs. With broad online and offline distribution capabilities, Adaptive Marketing LLC offers its corporate client partners effective tools to enhance market presence, strengthen customer affinity and generate additional value through programs, such as AP9 PrivacyMatters.